People that don’t listen can sometimes be the most irritating type of people to interact with. However, sometimes we have something important to say so we need to know how to deal with people that don’t listen.
Many of these people feel they have all the answers and that others haven’t experienced what they have. There are also those who will ask for advice but don’t listen and use it. How about those ones who do all the talking and you can’t get a word in edgewise? And then there are those who say they are listening, but for medical reasons can’t really hear everything you are saying. These are the basic types of people who don’t listen.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to learn how to deal with people that don’t listen.
Gain Their Attention
Many people who don’t listen are preoccupied with other thoughts or on what’s going on around them. Some people are very easily distracted by what’s going on around them, or what is floating around in their heads: so much so that they can’t totally focus on what you need to say to them. Situations like these can be extremely frustrating, especially when what you have to say is very important to you.
But here are some things to think about.
The environmental issues are fairly easy to control in gaining the attention of someone who might be easily distracted from listening to you. Environmental issues can include people, noises, or any other sensory attraction that will distract that person from listening to you.
It can be very frustrating to talk to someone about something serious when they are being distracted by the outside world. If you have to, invite them into a less distracting area to help them listen to you.
There are also those who are hearing impaired, but try to pretend that they are hearing every word you are saying. The middle aged male with hearing problems is particularly susceptible to this type of not listening.
If you suspect you are talking with a hearing impaired person you can verify that by asking them to repeat what you said. However, this kind of verification needs to be done in a respectful and courteous manner so you don’t offend the person who is not listening.
Thinking Distractions
There are also those people who are distracted from listening because of their own thoughts. These people are fairly easy to identify because there is always a kind of blank look on their face as you are talking to them.
Talking to someone with a blank in their face is a clear indication they are not listening to you. But gaining the attention of someone who is not listening because their mind is somewhere else can be a little more complex to deal with.
You can try asking them if this is a bad time to talk with them, as they seem distracted. Then, if they want to talk about what is on their mind, let them, as that may free them up to listen to you.
There are only two reasons for that blank, not listening, stare when you are talking to someone.
One, they have become bored with the conversation, for which the remedy is to change the topic of the conversation, as quickly as possible.
The second reason for the blank stare is that the person you are talking to just does not really care about what you have to say, in which case you move on to better conversational ground.
Anyone who is not interested in anything you have to say is not worth the waste of your energy when there are so many other meeting and conversational opportunities available.
Knowing how to deal with people who do not listen can be frustrating and we all have to deal with them at one time or other throughout our life. The trick is to deal with them effectively, helpfully if we can.
